Meade Roberts
Encyclopedia
Meade Roberts was an American
screenwriter
who collaborated with Tennessee Williams
with the screenplays for the films The Fugitive Kind
(1959) and Summer and Smoke
(1961), both based on plays by Williams. In other work for films, Roberts wrote the screenplay for The Stripper
(1963), starring Joanne Woodward, by adapting William Inge
's play A Loss of Roses and wrote the screenplay for the movie In the Cool of the Day
(1963), starring Peter Finch and Jane Fonda, by adapting Susan Ertz
's novel of the same name. Roberts also was an actor in two John Cassavetes
films, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
(1976) and Opening Night (1977). Roberts's play A Palm Tree in a Rose Garden (1957) had an off-Broadway run in NYC from November 26, 1957 to January 19, 1958, with Barbara Baxley
as Barbara Parris. In 1960, Tomás Milián
appeared at Spoleto
's Festival dei Due Mondi
in Roberts's one-act play Maidens and Mistresses at Home in the Zoo (1958), written specifically for him.
Meade Roberts wrote television scripts for such shows as CBS's Suspense
(1949–1955), NBC's The Kate Smith Evening Hour (1951–1952), and CBS's Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
(1951–1959). He adapted Henry James's novel The Wings of the Dove
for Playhouse 90
, which aired January 8, 1959, season 3, episode 14, with Dana Wynter
as Kate Croy, James Donald
as Merton Densher, and Inga Swenson
as Milly Theale. NTA Film Network
's Play of the Week
aired a teleplay of Roberts's play A Palm Tree in a Rose Garden on April 4, 1960, season 1, episode 26, with Glenda Farrell
as Rose Frobisher, Barbara Barrie
as Lila Frobisher, Robert Webber
as Anton Jonas, and Barbara Baxley
as Barbara Parris.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
who collaborated with Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
with the screenplays for the films The Fugitive Kind
The Fugitive Kind
The Fugitive Kind is a 1959 American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet. The screenplay by Meade Roberts and Tennessee Williams was based on the latter's 1957 play Orpheus Descending, itself a revision of his unproduced 1939 work Battle of Angels....
(1959) and Summer and Smoke
Summer and Smoke (film)
Summer and Smoke is a 1961 film directed by Peter Glenville based on the Tennessee Williams play of the same name.The film starred Laurence Harvey and Geraldine Page with Rita Moreno, Una Merkel, John McIntire, Thomas Gomez, Pamela Tiffin, Malcolm Atterbury, Lee Patrick and Earl Holliman...
(1961), both based on plays by Williams. In other work for films, Roberts wrote the screenplay for The Stripper
The Stripper (film)
The Stripper is a drama film about a struggling, aging actress turned stripper and the people she knows, played by Joanne Woodward. It is based on the play A Loss of Roses by William Inge. The film was the feature film debut of director Franklin J. Schaffner, and costarred Carol Lynley, Robert...
(1963), starring Joanne Woodward, by adapting William Inge
William Inge
William Motter Inge was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, he had a string of memorable Broadway productions, and one of these, Picnic, earned him a Pulitzer Prize...
's play A Loss of Roses and wrote the screenplay for the movie In the Cool of the Day
In the Cool of the Day
In the Cool of the Day is a 1963, Metrocolor, American romantic drama film directed by Robert Stevens and starring Peter Finch, Jane Fonda, Angela Lansbury, Nigel Davenport, and John Le Mesurier.-Plot:...
(1963), starring Peter Finch and Jane Fonda, by adapting Susan Ertz
Susan Ertz
Susan Ertz was a British fiction writer and novelist, known for her "sentimental tales of genteel life in the country." She was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England to American parents Charles and Mary Ertz. She moved back and forth between both countries during her childhood but chose to...
's novel of the same name. Roberts also was an actor in two John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
films, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
For the 1974 film of the same name see Dynamite BrothersThe Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a 1976 gangster film directed and written by John Cassavetes and starring Ben Gazzara....
(1976) and Opening Night (1977). Roberts's play A Palm Tree in a Rose Garden (1957) had an off-Broadway run in NYC from November 26, 1957 to January 19, 1958, with Barbara Baxley
Barbara Baxley
Barbara Baxley was an American actress of stage, film and television.-Early life:Baxley was born in Porterville, California, the daughter of Emma and Bert Baxley.-Career:...
as Barbara Parris. In 1960, Tomás Milián
Tomas Milian
Tomás Milián is a Cuban-American actor best known for having worked extensively in Italian films from the late 1950s to the 1980s.-Career in Italy:...
appeared at Spoleto
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
's Festival dei Due Mondi
Festival dei Due Mondi
The Festival dei Due Mondi ' is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958...
in Roberts's one-act play Maidens and Mistresses at Home in the Zoo (1958), written specifically for him.
Meade Roberts wrote television scripts for such shows as CBS's Suspense
Suspense (US TV series)
Suspense is an American television anthology series that ran on CBS Television from 1949 to 1954. It was adapted from the radio program of the same name which ran from 1942 to 1962. Like many early television programs, the show was broadcast live from New York City...
(1949–1955), NBC's The Kate Smith Evening Hour (1951–1952), and CBS's Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, is a weekly CBS anthology television series, was telecast on Friday nights from 1951 until 1959. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by Schlitz beer...
(1951–1959). He adapted Henry James's novel The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove is a 1902 novel by Henry James. This novel tells the story of Milly Theale, an American heiress stricken with a serious disease, and her impact on the people around her...
for Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
, which aired January 8, 1959, season 3, episode 14, with Dana Wynter
Dana Wynter
Dana Wynter was a German-born British actress, who was brought up in England and Southern Africa. She appeared in film and television for more than forty years beginning in the 1950s, most notably in the original version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.-Early life:Wynter was born as Dagmar...
as Kate Croy, James Donald
James Donald
James Donald was a Scottish actor. Tall and thin, he usually specialised in playing authority figures.Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance sometime in the late-1930s, having been educated at Rossall School on Lancashire's Fylde coast...
as Merton Densher, and Inga Swenson
Inga Swenson
Inga Swenson is an American actress.Inga Swenson was a graduate of Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska, Class of 1950...
as Milly Theale. NTA Film Network
NTA Film Network
The NTA Film Network was an early American television network founded by Ely Landau in 1956. The network was not a full-time television network like CBS, NBC, or ABC. Rather, it operated on a part-time basis, broadcasting films and several first-run television programs from major Hollywood studios...
's Play of the Week
Play of the Week
Play of the Week is an American anthology series of televised stage plays which aired in NTA Film Network syndication from October 12, 1959 to May 1, 1961...
aired a teleplay of Roberts's play A Palm Tree in a Rose Garden on April 4, 1960, season 1, episode 26, with Glenda Farrell
Glenda Farrell
-Career:Farrell came to Hollywood towards the end of the silent era. Farrell began her career with a theatrical company at the age of 7. She played Little Eva in Uncle Tom's Cabin...
as Rose Frobisher, Barbara Barrie
Barbara Barrie
Barbara Barrie is an American actress and author of children's books.-Personal life:Barrie was born as Barbara Ann Berman in Chicago, Illinois, of Jewish heritage, the daughter of Frances Rose and Louis Berman. She was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. She graduated from University of Texas,...
as Lila Frobisher, Robert Webber
Robert Webber
Robert L. Webber was an American actor who starred as Juror #12 in the 1957 film 12 Angry Men.Webber was born in Santa Ana, California, the son of Alice and Robert Webber, who was a merchant seaman. He was a U.S. Marine during World War II serving on Guam and Okinawa...
as Anton Jonas, and Barbara Baxley
Barbara Baxley
Barbara Baxley was an American actress of stage, film and television.-Early life:Baxley was born in Porterville, California, the daughter of Emma and Bert Baxley.-Career:...
as Barbara Parris.